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It’s not very often I post about individual apps or games, but this is a rare occurance on account of one of my favourite iOS games finally being released for Android. It’s called Fruit Ninja it’s just massive a frenzy of fruit slicing action. There’s no demo on the Market. but it’s worth trying at only $0.99 (60-70p?) – don’t hold it against me if you don’t like it!

IMPORTANT: Sony have released the 3.42 update which patches this exploit. If you want to retain the ability to jailbreak don’t install this update!!!
Instructions are available here on how to avoid the update and still play online.

As mentioned in the Twitter article yesterday there’s an open-source exploit available for the Sony PlayStation 3 which lets you run Homebrew software on it. This hack has now been ported to Android – this means you can now connect your phone to your PS3, run the jailbreak and be able to run homebrew.

Note

In order to use this you need to Enable PSFreedom first to launch the jailbreak on the PS3. Whilst it’s on you won’t be able to use the normal USB capabilities of your phone (adb, file transfer, charge etc), but straight after running it you can disable it.

Requirements

Sony PlayStation 3 on the 3.41 firmware. DO NOT UPDATE TO 3.42 (see here)

Restore power to the PS3 by turning the switching on or plugging the cable back in. Don’t turn on yet

Press the Power button and then QUICKLY press the Eject button. If you do this right you’ll know because it takes a few seconds longer to start up

In the Games section of the XMB (Cross Media Bar) you’ll see two new options. If it’s not worked, repeat steps 1-4.

Disconnect your phone and run the Uninstallation instructions to restore normal USB functionality

FAQs

Do I need to repeat this every time I want to run the exploit?
Yes, as it’s a soft-jailbreak the jailbreak needs to run each time you turn your console on. There’s no harm in leaving your phone with PSFreedom Enable on if you don’t the USB features for a while.

Will it only work on OpenDesire?
For now yes. The exploit needs to modify the kernel and for now it’s only been done for the OpenDesire one. We’ll probably see the hack coming to other ROMs in the near future

Can I Run Backups?Yes, if you use the BDMV file. There’s a Homebrew Backup Manager which lets you install the contents of game disk to your hard drive. After that you still need a disk in the drive (any disk) to launch the game. Please be sensible with this and use it for games you own. More detailed instructions (and warnings) on this here (first post, scroll down to the FAQs on backups).

It’s been a while since I did the first “This Week On Twitter”, but last week was quite an exciting week for Desire owners so here’s a round up of a weeks worth of Tweets!

Angry Birds Beta is now in the Market

One of the top selling iPhone games is now available for Android. It’s still in Beta, so there might be bugs but I’ve been playing it for the past few days and had no problems with it whatsoever. You can download the free Lite version using the QR code, the full paid version is not yet available.

Froyo Available to South-East Asia and Hong Kong HTC Desire Owners

Readers who’re based in the above locations can now enjoy their Froyo-flavoured Android update. If you’ve not received the update already, just go on Settings > About Phone > System Software Updates > Check Now and the update should appear ready for you to download.

Friendstream and Peep Back Online

Last week Google changed the way in which 3rd party applications can access the Twitter service. Previously there were 2 methods, Basic Authentication and OAuth, with OAuth being more secure of the two. Late last year Google announced that they’d be getting rid of Basic Authentication and only allowing OAuth. App developers were told to update their apps to use OAuth, with another public reminder in June. Most developers did this, but HTC either due to neglect, or an agreement with Google that they’d still be able to use Basic Authentication decided not to update their Peep and Friendstream apps. So when Google disabled Basic Authentication last week, Peep and Friendstream went down for a couple of days.

This issue was then resolved without the need for any OTA update, so I’d assume Google have permitted HTC to carry on using the Basic Authentication method.

How To Force Apps to Install on SD Card Without Rooting (on Froyo)

This is an article from another website which shows you how you can move any app to the SD card on Froyo without having to root your phone. You will need adb setup on your computer to follow this tutorial. Click here to visit the guide

What’s App Instant Messenger Now In Beta

The popular iPhone (also available on S60 and Blackberry) instant messenger application is now in beta for Android. Although the interface is very simplistic, it seems to work quite well. You can download it by visiting this link on your Android phone browser, or download the apk file from here

PSGroove being ported to Android (PSFreedom)

There’s been a lot of development on this, and due to not owning a PS3 my understanding might be a bit flaky – do correct my if I get anything wrong: a few weeks ago a jailbreak for the PS3 was announced which lets you run homebrew on your PlayStation 3 console using a rather expensive USB dongle. This was known as PS Jailbreak. More recently it was announced that another team of developers had managed to release some open-source code known as PSGroove which does the same thing as the PS Jailbreak, except that PS Groove is free but you need certain USB hardware to run the code. Another developer then ported PSGroove to the Nokia N900 which has the necessary USB controller, and called this project PSFreedom. Now, the developers at XDA are working on hard on getting PSFreedom to run on Android phones (Desire included).

Basically: if the developers succeed then it’s going to be possible to jailbreak your PS3 for free using PSFreedom from your Android phone. You can track the development of this project here

MyHTCDesire Breaks Another Bandwidth Barrier

For what start off as a very small blog, it’s now exceeding 100GB traffic a month which is a huge milestone for me. Just want to say thank your to all the readers who’ve been reading and promoting this site!

I found this article last week, which list a series of secret commands for Android phones. Bear in mind that that codes were obtained from a Samsung Galaxy i7500 so some may not work on the HTC Desire.

Please be careful as it’s not always possible to undo the effects of a code (e.g. factory reset).

*#*#4636#*#*

This code can be used to get some interesting information about your phone and battery. It shows following 4 menus on screen:

Phone information

Battery information

Battery history

Usage statistics

*#*#7780#*#*

This code can be used for a factory data reset. It’ll remove following things:

Google account settings stored in your phone

System and application data and settings

Downloaded applications

It’ll NOT remove:

Current system software and bundled applications

SD card files e.g. photos, music files, etc.

PS: Once you give this code, you get a prompt screen asking you to click on “Reset phone” button. So you get a chance to cancel your operation.

*2767*3855#

Think before you give this code. This code is used for factory format. It’ll remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage. It’ll also reinstall the phone firmware.

PS: Once you give this code, there is no way to cancel the operation unless you remove the battery from the phone. So think twice before giving this code.

*#*#34971539#*#*

This code is used to get information about phone camera. It shows following 4 menus:

Update camera firmware in image (Don’t try this option)

Update camera firmware in SD card

Get camera firmware version

Get firmware update count

WARNING: Never use the first option otherwise your phone camera will stop working and you’ll need to take your phone to service center to reinstall camera firmware.

*#*#7594#*#*

This one is my favorite one. This code can be used to change the “End Call / Power” button action in your phone. Be default, if you long press the button, it shows a screen asking you to select any option from Silent mode, Airplane mode and Power off.

You can change this action using this code. You can enable direct power off on this button so you don’t need to waste your time in selecting the option.

This is the first of a new series I’ll be writing which aims to introduce apps to MyHTCDesire readers. The apps will vary including new apps, useful apps and other apps that I feel deserve a mention. If you do discover any apps that you want me to include in the next article just get in touch using the contact details on the right!

If you’re using ChromeToPhone or FoxToPhone you can click any of the QR Codes to send the link to your phone, which opens up in the Market.

1. Springpad

Springpad makes it easy to save notes, products and places you want to remember

Author: Spring Partners, Inc.Price: Free

My Review

Springpad let’s you keep track of pretty much everything! Whether it’s a movie you want to watch, a task you need to complete or even a shopping list, SpringPad manages everything with a great looking interface too. It keeps everything sync-ed with the springpad website, although you might want to make sure that any personal items are marked as private in the settings section of their website.

2. psx4droid (PSX Emulator)

psx4droid is the famous PSX emulator for Android 2.x devices! Fast and featured!

Author: ZodTTDPrice: $5.99

My Review

This emulator lets you play SonyPlaystation games on your Android phone. When I orignally tried it with Crash Bandicoot 3 it was very slow, but I’ve since upgraded to the latest version and changed the framerate to 30fps and it seems to run a lot better – though it can lag at times. If you find your favourite games aren’t working then you might want to get a refund for now, but keep track of this app as I can only see it getting better!

3. Kindle for Android

Kindle books on your phone including thousands of free books. No Kindle required

Author: Amazon MobilePrice: Free

My Review

This is an app that I couldn’t live without. I use it everyday during the commute to Manchester and it has a massive collection including most of my favourite books. I’ve not yet found the Riddle Master of Hed on it, but I hope it’s only a matter of time until it arrives. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to switch to ebooks instead of physical books, but after reading through the first two I’ve gotten used to it and not looked back. I could go on about the advantages of ebooks, but this review’s about the app so I’ll stop here.

*If you are a non-US customer, book availability may varyScreenshots (click to enlarge)Download

4. K-9 Mail

K-9 is the best email client for Android. It’s incredibly powerful and 100% free

Author: K-9 Dog WalkersPrice: Free

My Review

While the HTC Mail application is fantastic and I’m sure that a lot of people are happy with it, I needed an alternate mail so I could switch between custom ROMs (Sense-based and Sense-less) without the worry of having to setup all my mail accounts again (which there’s over 10 of). I can easily backup everything in K9 Mail and restore it in any ROM regardless of whether it has HTC Mail or not.
If you’re not happy with HTC Mail then this is definitely the next best thing.

5. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds the best of the web, just for you

Author: StumbleUpon.Price: Free

My Review

If you’re ever looking for websites containing content you’re interested in, or if you’re just looking to browse the Internet aimlessly then StumbleUpon is for you. It presents you with recommended content based on your preferences, and it learns from your habits to make sure it’s only giving you relevant results.

Description:
StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds the best of the web, recommended just for you. Every time you click Stumble!, we’ll show you sites that have been selected based on your preferences and recommendations from millions of users who share your interests. So you see more of what you want and less of what you don’t.Screenshots (click to enlarge)Download

6. Tumblr

Tumblr for Android. The easiest way to blog.

Author: TumblrPrice: Free

My Review

If you’re on Tumblr then this app is perfect for you. I don’t use it myself (don’t have a Tumblr blog) but I’ve seen a friend using it to post up photos and videos taken with her phone to her blog. It has a really clean and simple interface and you can very easily create new posts for your blog.

7. Laputa Book Reader

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Kindle, then this is the closest thing. Although the catalog isn’t as big as Kindles, Laputa still has a huge collection of books where are all free to download. I actually started off with this before Kindle, and only switched after a few months when I’d read all the books I wanted to.

8. Searchify

Perform translation, calculation, unit conversion and more from the search box.

Author: Oliver LanPrice: Free

My Review

Though it’s not one I use on a daily basis, this app definitely has some novelty value. It uses voice input for you to tell it what you want to convert, then it quickly interpretates and converts your input into the relevant output, be that unit conversion, calculation or language translation.

If you’ve been experiencing issues on your Desire where the battery doesn’t seem to last as much as it should then you can use this guide to extend your battery life. People have reported their batteries holding charge for double the time they used to after following these steps.

Obviously if your battery is performing well already then doing this won’t have any real benefits!

Instructions

Turn your phone on and charge it for 8 hours or more

Unplug the charger

Turn your phone off and charge it for one hour

Unplug the charger

Turn on the phone and wait 2 minutes

Turn your phone off and charge it for one hour

Unplug, turn it on and use as normal. Your battery life should now be a lot better 🙂

You only need to do this once. If you keep experiencing issues with your battery you should contact HTC or your network provider for support.

Notes

Although this will calibrate your battery and cause it to hold charge better, your battery life will still be affected by the apps you use (needless to say really). Main battery hogging applications include Instant Messaging apps (MSN, AIM etc), GPS powered apps (CoPilot, Maps, Layar), video apps (RockPlayer, YouTube) and so on. Just remember that whenever you finish using these apps make sure you close them properly, using the quit menu if there’s one available. You can also visit my earlier tutorial on how to preserve your battery life here.

Install the Chrome To Phone app on your Desire (search “Chrome to Phone” in the Market)

If you’re using Mozilla Firefox get the Fox-to-Phone addon from here and install it
If you’re using Google Chrome get the Google Chrome to Phone extension from here and install it

Run the Chrome To Phone app on your phone:

select the Gmail account you want to use

choose whether you want links to open automatically – I prefer manual

Login to GMail on your browser – use the same address as the one you selected in Chrome to Phone

That’s it – you’re ready for Chrome to Phone!

Using Chrome to Phone

You can now send content from your web browser to your phone:

Web pages

Just click the Send to Phone icon next to the Address Bar to send the current web page to your phone

Images

Right-click any image on a page and select “Send this image to Android” to view it on your phone

Text

Highlight any text, right-click and choose “Send this text to Android”. The text will be copied to your phones clipboard and you can post it into any input box.

When you’ve sent content to your phone it’ll either open automatically, or appear as a notification (depending on your preference in Chrome to Phone), and you can click the notification to view the page in your phone browser:

Special Link Types

When you send certain link types they’ll be opened in a specific application. Details are as follows:

YouTube – any YouTube pages will be opened in the YouTube application

Maps – if you send a Google Maps page it’ll open in the Google Maps app

smsto:// – if a webpage has a link using the smsto:// protocol it will open in your default messaging application with the recipient field filled in

market:// – any market links will launch the Android Market

tel:// – will open your default call application and dial in the number for you

Chrome to Phone Mobile App

The Chrome to Phone mobile app can be found in the Android Market. Details are:

Google Chrome to Phone

Send links, maps, phone numbers, & more from your Chrome browser to your phone!
Author: Google Inc.Price: FreeDescription:
Google Chrome to Phone lets you easily share links, maps, and currently selected phone numbers and text between your computer running Chrome and your phone. You also need to install the Chrome browser extension on your computer, which can be found by searching for ‘Chrome to Phone’ at http://chrome.google.com/extensions/QR Code

Yesterday Google announced a new and improved version of the Voice Search application which is known being referred to as Google Voice Actions. As the new name suggests, it doesn’t only allow voice searching, but lets you perform lots of other actions with your phone too including:

listen to music title/artist/album

note to self note

send text to recipient

send email to recipient

call recipient

navigate to location

directions to location

map of location

go to website URL

You can start using this straight away as the application should now be on the Android Market when you search for “Voice Search”. Here’s a QR code to help you out.Direct link for mobile readers

Search Widget

To accompany this new app, Google have also launched a new Search Widget which you can also download right now from the Android Market:Direct link for mobile readers

Bear in mind that you will need Froyo to be able to run this new app. Enjoy!

According to Google this is the start of small updates to the Android OS coming via the Market.

1. When installing an application I get an error saying “for security your phone is set to block installation of applications not sourced in the Android market”?
Go to Settings > Applications and tick the Unknown sources box. Press OK when the “Attention” box appear and this message will no longer appear.

2. What’s currently the best way to root the Desire?
I strongly recommend using Unrevoked. I posted up a couple of tutorials, one using Windows and the other using a Linux Live CD (I prefer this method).

3. Can I Play DivX Videos on Froyo?
Yes. There was a rumour that DivX playback would be supported in Froyo but it doesn’t look like it is. However, you can download RockPlayer from the Market which is capable of playing DivX and many other video formats flawlessly

4. How Can I Move Apps to SD Card in Froyo?
Go on Settings > Applications > Manage Applications. Under “Downloaded” or “All” select the app you want to move. Click the button labelled “Move to SD Card”.
The above method works for apps which support apps to sd. If you’ve rooted your phone you can use the ModInstallLocation which allows you to force all apps to be installed to SD card. Alternatively you can use a ROM which has the unofficial A2SD and use that by creating an ext partition on your SD card.

5. How Can I Delete Files on my Phone?
You can either connect your phone to computer via USB, set it in Disk Drive mode and manage all your files from the computer. Or you can download a File Manager application such as FileGo, Astro File Manager or EStrongs File Manager and use it to manage all your SD card contents directly from the phone.

6. How Do I Manually Close an Application?
Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Running. Select the application you want to close and press “Force stop”

7. Does Unrevoked work on Linux?
Yes, in fact I’ve written a tutorial on how to run it on Linux here

8. What Partition Sizes Should I Use When Formatting To Ext?
I have an 8GB card and have found 2GB for the ext 2 to be plenty. Swap space isn’t really required and can be set to 0, though I keep it set to 32MB. The remaining 6GB seems to be enough to hold all my data for now, which includes photos, videos, ROMS and ScummVM games. I’ve had the 2GB partition for over 10 months and haven’t yet come to filling it.

9. Where Can I View A Changelog for Froyo?
There’s no official changelog available that I’ve heard of. However, the folks at XDA-Developers have compiled a massive list of all the changes that are included in Froyo which you can view here

10. When Will Froyo Be Available in Asia?
No date is confirmed yet. If you got your Desire shipped from Europe to Asia then you should already have Froyo. If you bought it in Asia then there’s no news on a release date yet.